ILCW A Pentecost 16Matthew 18:15-20 September 24, 2017Dear Friends in Christ,

There are many areas in life where there is a great divide in the level of understanding between the many and the few. What I mean by this is that we can find a lot of things in life in which everybody knows a little about something, but there are very few people who understand it in depth and really know the ins and outs. A very good example of this can be found in the world of electronics. There are a lot of people, in fact, most people who can use electronic devices. They can use a cell phone or a computer, they can run a microwave oven or even figure out how to get 100’s of channels on their satellite TV.

But knowing how to use something and understanding how it works are two very different things. For even though you many understand how to use all kinds of computer programs, do you understand enough to design and build a computer? Even though you know how to use all the apps on your cell phone, do you understand enough to write one? And that same separation is found in many aspects of life ranging from the cars we drive to the homes we live in to the clothes we wear. All of us can be found in the great big group of users in most aspects of life, while those who really understand everything about it make up a lot of small and exclusive little groups.

The same could easily be said about religion and the Word of God. The majority of Christians are clear on the basics of salvation. That is what makes them Christians. They understand that there is only one God and they know Him to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They understand that the way to eternal life is not something we can earn, but rather God has won it for us through the work of His Son keeping the law perfectly and then dying in our place so that we might be declared “not guilty.” In a nutshell that is the basis for salvation and eternal life. All we need is to understand that God has paid for our sins and that there is nothing we can do but cling to the faith that He has given to us.

Yet as we continue on with our comparison of knowing a lot or knowing just enough to get by, I’m sure that you will agree it is better to know more than the bare minimum. For if all you know about cars is that they need gas to make them go, you are likely to be the one stuck on the side of the road because you didn’t change the oil or do the required regular maintenance. If you are the one who only knows how to turn on the computer and doesn’t have at least a passing understand spyware and phishing and all the other malware

that can slow down or ruin you computer, you will be the one who makes regular visits to your local computer geek. And if you don’t know anything about home repairs, you will certainly need a handyman on your speed dial.

And the same is true when it comes to our knowledge of God and the salvation that He has given to us. Though we really need nothing more than that little bit of saving faith, though we need nothing more than the faith of a smoldering fire or a smoking flax to have God’s gift of everlasting life and to spend eternity in heaven, it is better to know more than just the bare minimum. It is better to be in that small group that understands than to just be numbered with vast majority whose faith has never gotten past the simple truth, Jesus Loves Me this I Know.

For the real problem that comes with only a little bit of knowledge, whether it is in the field of computers or home maintenance or even our understanding of God’s salvation, is that you can be easily deceived. You can fall prey to all kinds of lies and trickery designed to take from you your money or your identity, or even worse, your eternal life.

But that is why God gave us His inspired and inerrant Word. He gave it to us so that we could learn and understand more and more of His truths beyond the simple love of Christ for sinners. He gave it to us so that we could grow in our faith and have a greater understanding of what it is that He wants us to do each and every day. And just as knowing more about your car or your home or your electronic devices makes you better prepared for their eventual breakdown or the problems that they will most certainly have, knowing more about God’s Word helps prepare you for the certain problems that will enter into your life. It is a way of being prepared for all the problems that will certainly arise in this world of sin and sorrow and the overt attacks of Satan.

Our theme for this morning is one that has the simple message “UNDERSTAND MORE OF GOD’S WORD.” And the reason for this encouragement is outlined in our text as Jesus gives to us an example of how we put that faith into action. For we do not live in a bubble but are in the world. We are attacked by Satan, the World and our own sinful flesh. AS Jesus points out in our text, we need to understand more because I. WE NEED THIS UNDERSTANDING TO HELP OTHERS. And secondly, II. WE NEED THIS UNDERSTANDING TO HELP OURSELVES.

Now as our text begins for this morning we have a statement that says, “Moreover if your brother sins against you…” Though Jesus used the word “if”, He very well could have used the word “when.” For the point of mentioning someone sinning against us is not a rare thing. In this world of sin it is common place to be sinned against in words that

malign our character, make fun of our appearance and say that we are not very bright. We are also sinned against in actions that hurt and in thoughts that we may never know.

Yet the point Jesus is making is not that we will be sinned against, that will happen, but the real point is how will we handle it. If we rely on the simple basic knowledge that God loves us, our sinful nature might easily get the upper hand. Our first thought might be that we need to retaliate. If we get them back good that will make us feel better. Or maybe instead of taking the direct route and attacking them face to face, we simply let others know of the sin. We tell our best friend and we may even tell the pastor. We wage a campaign in stealth, behind their back.

Either way, this is not what God wants. God did not call us to faith and salvation in Christ that we might let our lives and relationships be a breading ground for sin. The instruction and the understanding from God is that we would speak to those who have sinned against us. Jesus says, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”

And what we really need to note in this section is that the purpose behind this is not that we are going to get even. It is not our opportunity to settle the score. It is rather an opportunity to save a soul. It is an opportunity for us to have the mind and the heart of God and led someone to see their sin and to repent of it. It is the timeless message of law and Gospel. It is the message of telling someone what God doesn’t like, so they can understand what it means to be liked by God.

And this doesn’t end if we are ignored by the person who has sinned against us. Jesus goes on to say, “But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” This whole process is one that shows the love of God for souls. It is a system that takes every opportunity to help someone understand that what they have done is not just a sin against men, but it is a sin against God. IT is a long bearing and exhaustive attempt to lead a lost soul back to the salvation of Christ.

And for the average Christian, this is something that is lost. For the average Christian who is content with the Jesus Loves Me message and nothing more, they will always find it hard to deal with others who sin against them and cause strife and divisions. They will have problems because they have not come to understand more about what God has given to us,

namely the means and the tools to deal with the sinners of the world.

Yet this is not just a matter of dealing with those who harm us with their sinful words and actions. Certainly God has commanded us that if they do not repent, we should inform them that the gates of heaven are closed to them. There is no eternal life without the repentance of sins. It is our duty to let them know this. Likewise we want to give them all of God’s comfort and grace when they do repent, so that they understand that the gates of heaven have been flung open wide so that on the last day, they are as welcome as we are.

But the understanding we gain from this command of Christ, this system of how to deal with someone who sins is not just for the benefit of those around us, but it is for us as well. Right on the heels of this message of how to deal with a sinning brother is the comfort of Christ that says, “ Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

This is not something that is given for the people around us but it is given for us. It is the understanding that our faith is not merely something that God sends to us a then leaves us alone, but it is the assurance that He is always with us. He is present with us as we work together in doctrine and practice. He is with us when we allow His Word to be the ruling guide for all that we do. And if we are satisfied with the bare minimum of what Christ has taught, we never grow in faith to understand what a blessing it is to have God with us. We never learn to distinguish what it means to be in agreement with someone on the basis of Scripture and nothing else.

For you can easily find many people who are Christians and they like nothing better than to join together with other Christians. Yet they have no understanding of what they have in common and what truly makes them very different. It is only through the study of Scripture that we can know these truths that help us to come together as one with Christ and the salvation He has given to us.

Certainly it seems that there is so much in Scripture that no one could ever understand it all. No one could even come close to comprehending the mind of God as it is revealed is Scripture. Yet this does not mean we should hide from His Word or live on the simplistic truths that can easily be shaken or worse yet, taken away. The message that we have for us today is that we would certainly grow in our faith that we might help those around us even as we are helped to know more of God’s Grace and love. Amen.

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

“ Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”